When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I've never looked at high end audio. It seemed like a lot of money, a theft magnet, and I just didn't spend enough time in a car. If I really want to go all-out, I'd like to have Hans's Sharkwoofer and the 5 channel compact Alpine amp mounted with the Sharkwoofer. The main reason - no evidence of a high end audio system to the inexperienced eye - and still top notch sound. For now I'll play with what came with the car. For three years I've enjoyed listening only to the engine
That Alpine is sweet...love that big orange button...easy to see !
Orange is just one of the colors one can choose. I left mine blue because my car is blue...but I do like the orange. The blue is a bit intense at night. Orange seems like a better night driving color.
Aftermarket car audio used to be a way of life, especially with European cars. Some cars came with only radio prep packages, with the wiring, speakers, and antenna included, but no head unit. In those days, my father always would take the new car to his stereo installer and have the system tweaked. That practice ended when he traded in his 750 IL for a 1990 Lexus LS400. The Lexus included an amazing Nakamichi factory sound system which pretty much eliminated any chance of the installer getting his hands on the car. I have never put an aftermarket system in any of my modern cars, but I am enjoying playing with the older Porsches and their radios. The 928 is a dream car, and if I had owned one when they were new I would have installed the best of the best in that car. The older Alpine head unit is a lot of fun.
That JL subwoofer is a powered sub, as captain slow pointed out. I believe it has a 300 W amplifier or something close to that. It should be relatively easy to connect into the car since the battery and ground strap are right there. I hope to have it connected over the holiday week. I'll report in once it's all put back together.
I've never looked at high end audio. It seemed like a lot of money, a theft magnet, and I just didn't spend enough time in a car. If I really want to go all-out, I'd like to have Hans's Sharkwoofer and the 5 channel compact Alpine amp mounted with the Sharkwoofer. The main reason - no evidence of a high end audio system to the inexperienced eye - and still top notch sound. For now I'll play with what came with the car. For three years I've enjoyed listening only to the engine
You are so right...and I can tell you that it is a theft magnet...I lost about $1,000 worth of amps and electronic crossover equipment once when I was younger..
When that amp goes it...it will be stealth...and honestly the speaker upgrades will be in stock locations...and maybe a slightly more elaborate sub..there's plenty of sound to be had from the stock speaker locations...
When I had a 914 it was really nice and I put a high end stereo in it. Left the trim plate off and didn't put the speaker grills on. Made the high end stereo look like junk. Never had a problem and left the targa top in the trunk as they were expensive to replace and were themselves targets. Had an alarm that would send me a page if you tried the door handle and it never got set off. It was easy to look in with the top off and it looked like cheap junk that probably didn't even work so they left it alone. Kinda funny because with the covers and trim off it was actually easier to take. Office was in an area that go a lot of car stereos ripped off too. Had people with lesser stereos get them ripped off parked right next to the 914. Figured I was being smarter than the thiefs.
I bought the Pioneer DEH-80PRS and used the Fosgate Punch amp to drive my 8 speaker system in my 87 S4 and could not be happier. Kept the stock woofers for now - they sound great. Swapped out the door speakers and added a MB Quart crossover.
I have it wired for a subwoofer but have not got that completed yet.
I have gone the economy route, with a Pioneer DEH-7800BHS and a Kenwood KSC-SW11 powered sub. "B" pillar speakers are older Rockford Fosgates (installed by a PO), door speakers are original, and rear quarter speakers are not connected (maybe later, just for the heck of it). The powered sub is installed on the passenger parcel shelf, which I had previously modified (widened) to fit a Blaupunkt GTA-4 amp. I chose the Pioneer for BT, HD, Pandora and Spotify, and the powered sub because it could fit. I am totally pleased with the setup!
Prior to installing the HU (wired off to the side and sitting on the passenger seat for testing) I happened to lift the HU to fold the floor mats forward...and the power cut out. Discovered the power tap installed for the previous aftermarket HU harness (decades ago) was loose where it clipped on to the factory harness. Thought I might have to ditch it and redo the connections, but it turned out an easy pinch with needle nose pliers was enough to snug the connector then reinstall. I decided to drive it for awhile and makes sure all was well before installing the fragile console trim piece and the face plate trim that came with the Alpine HU. All done...
Need up to date advice, I just spent 3 hours reading a few of these long threads hoping to avoid asking questions that have already be answered by others. I'm realizing however that as the years have passed the answers are different now. I have 1991 928 GT with the stock Blaupunkt Stuttgart.
Question: Can someone give me list of make and model numbers for a new head unit, a set of door speakers, rear seat speakers, amp and powered sub (or amp sub combo) that fits in the rear tire area?
I do want to keep everything as stock looking as possible so i don't hurt the value of this 91 GT. BTW, the 91 has the round grills on the rear.
Thanks in advance for the input.
Seems like every 928 owner goes through the same dilemma at some point.
When I got my car it had a very nice Alpine unit that really didn't match the interior. It looked very much like the unit pictured above. I swapped that out for an Alpine CarPlay double DIN unit which sounded really fantastic. However, the touch screen was hard to use in my 5spd manual car and the screen was a little out of reach for me. So I decided to go back to a stock look.
Option 1: You can find a vintage looking Blaupunkt unit and have a AUX input added and then add on a bluetooth on that. That is what I have in my current setup. Looks stock sounds great when streaming from my phone.
In my case, I am using a Blaupunkt Reno, which are crazy expensive on eBay but there are several good looking options that are available for less. SW stereo can add the AUX input for about $125 which would include a good cleaning.
A caveat when going the vintage radio route. The radios turners are not high quality and today's modern digital tuners and sound processors. You are getting better sound but mismatched looks. There are some other drawbacks like one 6 presets and a ton of tape function buttons that you will not like use.
Another option is to look for a newer OEM head unit. I found this Blaupunkt unit used in BMW/Rovers from 1999 - 2004. It has a digital tuner and an CD Changer input to support AUX/Bluetooth. Plus it has a many other modern features like more presets, large display, fewer larger buttons (which I like) plus I think it looks right for the car.
I have one of these on had and I am considering installing it once I have the bluetooth adapter setup. FYI, the logo will come off with some acetone.
If you like this route, take a look at the VW Beta head unit. Same era and has a AUX input. It looks good but the blue backlighting was too much for me.
Hope this was useful.
Last edited by Michael Benno; 04-30-2017 at 12:58 PM.
Michael, thanks for some of that info about bluetooth. I had not thought about integrating a bluetooth unit with my aux-input on my classic Blaupunkt!! Super idea to investigate.
FLT951, whatever you do, I am thinking that the 220 is worth a lot of money to some people wanting to get back to stock. So, before you part with it, check values!
Red Flash, Thank you. If everything worked right on this site I would get a daily moment like the one you just offered. I DO want to upgrade and could care less about original. How much am I likely to get for my 220 changer in the trunk? Will there be extract issues like wiring from 220 to changer? I also have a CR1 that needs a new home.
Notice how virtually everyone posting a photo of an aftermarket Pioneer or Alpine has their pic in a shaded area. WHY? Well, to hide the ginormous gaps and horrible cheap shiny faces that look bad in the sun.
The center console in the 928 is almost totally horizontal. So any imperfections and shiny plastics really stand out. That's why sober looking units without shine or gaps look best.
12-21-2016, 09:28 PM
